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ELECTRICAL RAILWAY SIGNAL.

No. 494,111. Patented Mar. 2 1, 1893.

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S'. W., A. G. 8v H. V. MILLER. ELECTRICAL RAILWAY SIGNAL.

No. 494,111. Patented Mar. 21, 1893.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL WV. MILLER AND ALEXANDER O. MILLER, OF AURORA, AND HENRY Vv.lMILLER, OF BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS; SAID SAMUEL W. MILLER AS- SIGNOR TOSAID ALEXANDER O. MILLER AND HENRY V. MILLER.

ELECTRICAL RAILWAY-SIG NAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of l Letters Patent No. 494,111, dated March21, 1893.

` i Application tiled April 4, 1892. Serial No. 42'7691. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, SAMUEL W. MILLER and ALEXANDER O. MILLER, both ofAurora, and HENRY V. MILLER, of Bloomington, Illinois, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in Electrical Railway-Signals, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The object of our improvement is to `provide a signal adapted for use inconnection 1o with railways, which is intended to give warning to theengineer or other train man either of another train ahead of him in thesame block or division of the system of the same road, or that a switchhas been left open, or

that there is any other state of affairs existing which the device isadapted to indicate, and that it is his duty to stop the train, and,stated generally, in providing means, preferably placed upon thelocomotive, for igniting zo one or the other or both of a pair ofelectric lights, and our invention consists in the fea-` tures anddetails hereinafter pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation 2 5 diagrammatic view ofour improved apparatus, and Fig. 2 is a plan view illustrating thearrangement of the track when used in connection with such device, andFig. 3 a detail View showing the construction of the contact 3o points.y

At any suitable point between the ordinary track rails A, A, we place athird rail A', which may be supported upon the ties in any suitablemanner, so long as it is insulated 5 therefrom to prevent the groundingof the circuit used in connection with this device. This third rail ispreferably so constructed that the sections thereof overlap to someextent at the end of each division of the block, 4o the rails ofthetwoidivisions being insulated from each other at the overlapping point.

At any suitable point on the locomotive is placed a dynamo B, adapted tobe revolved by any suitable means, and furnishing the current necessaryfor our device, or in lieu thereof an electrical battery can be used.

In the cab of the locomotive are placed two electromagnets C, C', of anydesired dimensions. Adjacent to the magnet C, are posts D, D', providedwith contact points ol, d', and 50 between these posts is a vibratinglever or arm D normally retracted by the spring d, until it is incontact with the point ot. Similar posts E, E', provided with points e,e', are placed adjacent to the magnet O. Between these latter posts isplaced a vibrating lever E, having a spring e tending to draw it towardthe point e but which spring is so weak as to be normally overcome bythe action of the magnet O, as hereinafter stated. 6o

At any suitable points in the cab of the locomotive are placedelectrical lights F, and F', the former being provided with a Whiteglobe, and the latter Vwith a red one. Attached beneath the engine atany suitable 6; points are small wheels or brushes G, G. These wheels orbrushes run upon the third rail, and make an electrical contacttherewith.

G is a resistance coil, interposed at any 7o suitable point of thecircuit for the purpose of regulating the current thereof. These devicesare electrically connected as follows: vA wire 1 runs from one of thepoles of the dynamo or battery and divides into two branches. One ofthese branches connects with the magnet C. This magnet is connected bymeans of a wire 3, with the magnet O', and this latter magnet isconnected with the Wheel G by means of a wire 4. The other branch 8o ofthe wire l, (No. 5 in the drawings) again divides into two branches, 6and '7--6 running to the vibrating arm D and 7 to the vibrating arm E.The wheel G is in connection with the wheel G by means of the thirdrail, and the latter is connected with the ground by means of a wire 8,which passes through the resistance coil, and switch H, the ground beingconnected with the other pole of the dynamo or battery by means of awire 9o 9. The post D is connected with the light F, by means of a wire10, and this light-is connected with the ground by means of wires l1 and12. The post D is connected with the red light F by means of wires 13and 14, and 95 this light with the ground by means of wires and 12. Thepost E' is connected with the red light by means of wires 1G and 14.

The parts being constructed and connected as above set forth, theoperation of the device is as follows, supposing the train to be runningalong in a division of the block in which there is no other train and noswitch open. The current passes from the dynamo through the Wire l, thenbranching, a portion of it runs through both magnets to the wheelG,.along the third rail to the wheel G', thence to the ground and backto the other pole of the dynamo'. The other portion ot the current runsthrough the wire 5, whence it is prevented from passing through the Wire7, since the force of the magnet C has drawn the arm into contact withthe point on the post E, and this latter post not being connected withanything, the circuit is broken, affording no means for the passage ofthe current. The current can, however, pass through the wire 6, andthence into and through the arm D, the post D', the wire 10, into thewhite light, which it illuminates, and thence to the ground. It does notpass into the red light, because the circuit through the wires 13 and 14is broken at the post D. Therefore when the train is running along witheverything in proper condition, the white light will alone be burning.But let us suppose that another train similarly equipped happens to bein the same block. The current then passing into the wheel G, will befree to go to the ground, not only through the wheel G' and theresistance coil, but also through the wheels on the train ahead. vTheeffect of this will be to aiford a ready outlet for the electricity, andsufficiently to cause a greater quantity to pass through the magnetsmore strongly energizing them. The tension of the spring d" will then beovercome, drawing over the arm D", breaking the contact with the postD', and making it with the post D. The current will then pass from thispost through the wires 13 and 14,into the red light, illuminating it,and thence to the ground, to Wires 15 and 12, the white light going out.By this means the engineer will be immediately notified of the presenceof the train ahead by the going out of the White light and theilluminating of the red, and will be required to stop the engine andavert an accident. It may happen, however, that the connection with thewheels G, may be broken,

and in this case no current will pass through such wheels, and themagnets will cease to be energized. When this happens, the spring e",which is normally overcome by the power of the magnet C', will withdrawthe arm E", breaking the contact with the point e, and making thecontact with the point e. With the parts in this position theelectricity will not only flow through the wire 6, the-arm D" the postD', and the wire 10, into the white light, and thence to the ground, but'will also flow through the wire 7, the arm E", the post E' ,and theWires 16 and 14,1nto the red light, illuminating it, and thence to theground, so that both lights will be simultaneously burning, thus warningthe engineer that the device is out of order, and not to be dependedupon for the purposes of signaling.

It is frequently desirable to know a switch is open improperly orotherwise as that a train is ahead in the same block, and we havetherefore devised means whereby the fact that such a switch is open willbe signaled to the engineer this consisting of the following device. I,I, represent the switch rails, and I' the rods connecting them. Attachedto one of the rails is a contact point J, and attached to the third railare contact points K, K, adapted to receive the pointJ between them,these points being provided with a suitable resistance coil to regulatethe circuit. In their normal position, when the switch is set for themain track, so that a train Will keep to such track, there will be nocontact between these points, but when the switch is moved over to setit for the siding, the point J will enter between the points K, thusgrounding the insulated rail. This grounding of this rail affords thesame escape for the current therefrom as thou gh another train were inthe block, and consequently the current from the wheel G will not onlypass back through the wheel G', but also ahead through the points K andJ, intov the ground, thus affordingtwo outlets,andincreasingthe amountof electricity passing through the magnets and the energy of suchmagnets, with the result that the white light will go out, and the redlight be lighted, precisely as already described in speaking of theaction of the device to indicate the presence of a train. These contactpoints are more particularly shown in Fig. 3.

From the above description it will be evident that when the white lightalone is burning, the device is in order, and there is no danger aheadof the sort to be indicated by this mechanism, but when the white lightgoes out and the red one burns, there is either an open switch or atrain ahead, the engineer being warned in either case in the samemanner. When both lights burn, the signaling device is out of order insome way, the connection with the ground and the third rail beingbroken,and, nally, when both lights go out, the dynamo is out of order.

Although we have described more or less precise forms, we do not intendto unduly limit ourselves thereto, but contemplate changes in the form,proportions, and the substitution of equivalent members, as may bedesirable or necessary, for example, brushes or other suitableconnections can be substituted for the wheels G, G', and when We use theWord wheels in the claims, we intend to Vcover thereby any suchconnections. And, further, while We have described two conditions underwhich our device will act we have done this IOO merely for brevity andnot as a limitation, inasmuch as we contemplate using it in any placefor which it is adapted.

We clalm- -1. A railway signal comprising a magnet connected with theground and with a suitable source of electricity, a pair of contactposts adjacent thereto, a white light connected with one of such posts,and a red light connected with the other, both lights being in anindependent circuit, and a vibrating arm placed between the posts andnormally held in contact with the one connected with the white light,and means whereby, when the current, passing through the magnet, isincreased, the arm will be withdrawn from the white light post andbrought into contact with the post connected with the red light, therebyextinguishing the white light, and lighting the red one, substantiallyas described.

2. A railway signal comprising an insulated rail, wheels traveling uponsuch rail, one of such wheels being connected with the ground and theother with the electro-magnet, a suitable source of electricityconnected with the ground and with such magnet, a pair of posts adjacentto the magnet and connected respectively with a white and red light,which lights are independently connected with the source of electricity,and a vibrating arm normally in contact with the post connected withposts, and normally held in contact with the white light, but adapted tobe withdrawn as the current of electricity increases to extinguish thewhite and ignite the red light, a post adjacent to the magnet C',connected to the red light, and a Vibrating arm pivoted between suchpost and magnet, normally withdrawn from the post, to break theconnection with the red light., but adapted, when the current ofelectricity passing through the magnet ceases, to be withdrawn intocontactwith the post to ignite the red light, substantially asdescribed.

4. In a railway signal, the/combinationy of electro magnets C Cconnected with a suitable source ot' electricity and with the ground,two posts D D placed adjacent to the magnet C and connected respectivelywith a red and a white light,which lights are in an independent circuit,an arm D2 between such posts normally held in contact with D', a post Eadjacent to magnet C and connected to the red light, an arm E2 providedwith a spring but normally held away from the post E against the tensionof such spring by the power of the magnet C', whereby under normalconditions the white light will alone be burning, but when the currentthrough the magnets increases the arm D2 will be drawn into contact withthe post D, extinguishing the white and igniting the red light, and whenthe current through the magnet ceases, the arm D2 will remain in contactwith the post D', and the arm E2 will be drawn into contact with thepost E igniting the red light, so that both lights will be burnedsimultaneously, substantially as described.

SAMUEL W. MILLER. ALEXANDER C. MILLER. HENRY V. MILLER.

Witnesses:

GEORGE S. PAYsoN, SAMUEL E. HIBBEN.

